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Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday (local time) underlined that the only way for India and Pakistan to move forward is through talks.
Qureshi said that Islamabad requires a “willing and constructive partner to tackle the myriad daunting challenges” that the region is facing.
“A peaceful neighbourhood is an essential condition to build prosperous societies,” The Dawn quoted Qureshi as saying while addressing a National Conference on Strategic Stability in South Asia here.
Amid the already strained tensions between India and Pakistan, Qureshi said that both the nations should work towards addressing the “underlying challenges” to strategic stability in the region.
Citing the example of Kashmir issue, which has remained unresolved for over 70 years, Qureshi stressed that any conflict resolution plays a crucial role in ensuring a successful strategic stability arrangement in the region.
“It (Kashmir issue) lies at the heart of every crisis between Pakistan and India, including the events in February,” Qureshi said while referring to the aerial dogfight between the two nations in the wake of the Pulwama attack.
Tensions between India and Pakistan sparked following the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Forty CRPF personnel had lost their lives in the attack that was claimed responsibility by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group.
The incident provoked international condemnation and pressure on Pakistan, urging it to intensify its crackdown on terror groups operating from its soil.
On February 26, India launched an air strike at a JeM training camp in Balakot in Pakistan in retaliation to the Pulwama attack. The Balakot airstrike was followed by a dogfight between Indian and Pakistani air forces in which a Pakistani F-16 jet and an Indian fighter plane were shot down.
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistani authorities but was released on March 1 as a “peace of gesture”, according to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Meanwhile, Qureshi called on the need for a peaceful environment contributing to socio-economic development and welfare of the people in the region.
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Attorney General William Barr said on Wednesday he would look into whether US agencies illegally spied on President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, sparking criticism from Democrats who accused him of promoting a conspiracy theory.
Barr, who was appointed by Trump, is already facing criticism by congressional Democrats for how he has handled the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, and his comments about surveillance brought more derision from Democratic senators.
His testimony echoed longstanding allegations by Trump and Republican allies that seeks to cast doubt on the early days of the federal investigation in an apparent attempt to discredit Mueller, law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump dialled up his rhetoric on the launch of the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, describing it as “an attempted coup” and treason.
Barr told senators at a hearing on Wednesday that he felt the need to further probe how US intelligence agencies conducted themselves in the Russia investigation because “spying on a political campaign is a big deal.”
“So you’re not suggesting, though, that spying occurred?” asked Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate appropriations subcommittee.
“I think spying did occur,” said Barr, the top US law enforcement officer. “But the question is whether it was adequately predicated, and I am not suggesting that it wasn’t adequately predicated.”
Barr acknowledged under sharp questioning by lawmakers that there was no evidence of wrongdoing, and later declined to elaborate on why he has concerns.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a tweet that Barr should retract his comments. “Perpetuating conspiracy theories is beneath the office of the Attorney General,” Schumer wrote.
“It sounds as though he thinks that the FBI is conducting some kind of a rogue investigation without the appropriate warrants. I think that’s astounding coming from the attorney general,” Senator Mazie Hirono, a Democrat who serves on the Senate Judiciary committee, said in an interview with Reuters.
Trump on Wednesday launched an especially blistering assault on the actions of FBI officials who began the investigation into the 2016 election before Mueller was appointed in May 2017.
“It was started illegally,” Trump told reporters at the White House, without citing any evidence. “Everything about it was crooked. Every single thing about it. There were dirty cops,” he said. “What they did was treason.”
Trump allies in Congress backed Barr over his comments. Republican Representative Jim Jordan tweeted: “Pursuing the truth! Holding people accountable! Exactly what Americans want from their Attorney General.”
Trump on Tuesday praised Barr for his appearance in Congress, saying he was pleased the attorney general was interested in “going back to the origins of exactly where this all started.
“So hopefully that will happen,” Trump said. “There is a hunger for that to happen in this country like I’ve never seen before.”
The attorney general is overseeing the release to Congress of the report by Mueller about his 22-month probe into whether members of Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia during the White House race and if Trump obstructed official inquiries into the matter.
Barr on Tuesday said a redacted version of the report would be released within a week. It is expected to shed light on some of the more contentious episodes of Trump’s election bid and presidency, including his firing of FBI Director James Comey in 2017 and his campaign’s contacts with Russians.
Democrats are pushing Barr to release the full 400-page report Mueller submitted to him on March 22, with many of them questioning whether Barr sugarcoated its findings in a letter to Congress.
In the March 24 letter, Barr said Mueller’s investigation did not establish that members of Trump’s election campaign conspired with Russia. He also said Mueller presented evidence “on both sides” about whether Trump obstructed justice, but he did not draw a conclusion one way or the other.
At the Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Democratic Senator Brian Schatz pressed Barr on his use of the term “spying,” which he called “unnecessarily inflammatory.”
Barr modified his language, saying, “I want to make sure there was no unauthorized surveillance.”
He was also asked if he had any evidence of wrongdoing in the course of the federal probe of whether the Trump campaign worked with Moscow to sway the election.
“I have no specific evidence that I would cite right now, I do have some questions about it,” Barr replied.
Barr told the committee that he would review all the intelligence activities directed at Trump’s 2016 campaign, and added that his review was not specifically directed at the FBI.
Barr noted much of this has been done already, both in Congress and by the Justice Department inspector general, but that he will pull it all together to see if there may be “remaining questions to be addressed.”
Inspector General Michael Horowitz is investigating whether the FBI and Justice Department followed proper procedures when they applied for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to conduct surveillance on former Trump adviser Carter Page and his ties to Russia. Barr said on Tuesday that investigation was due to wrap up in May or June.
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Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange has been arrested after seven years in Ecuador’s embassy in London, UK police said Thursday.
The Metropolitan Police said he had been taken into custody and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court “as soon as is possible”. The 47-year-old faces allegations that he publicly released secret documents relating to the US.
He had been in the embassy in London since 2012. Assange had originally sought asylum at the embassy after Swedish authorities wanted to quiz him over allegations of sexual assault and rape.
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Clashes broke out Thursday between workers of Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress at various places in Andhra Pradesh even as technical glitches in Electronic Voting Machines hampered the poll process at numerous polling booths as voting got underway for 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats.
In Guntakal, former MLA and contesting candidate of Jana Sena Party, Madhusudan Gupta, smashed an EVM in a fit of rage alleging that party symbols were not properly printed on the ballot unit. He also shouted at the polling personnel on duty. Gupta was immediately taken into police custody.
A mandal parishad member of YSRC was seriously injured when TDP workers allegedly attacked him at a polling station in Eluru city. In Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district, tension prevailed in Ponnathota village as YSRC and TDP workers indulged in stone-throwing.
In Narsaraopet constituency in Guntur district, YSRC leaders alleged TDP men ransacked a polling station in Yelamanda village and damaged the furniture. Police personnel were also preventing YSRC sympathisers from entering into the polling booth, they alleged. Minor trouble was also reported at a few other constituencies in Guntur, Prakasam and Anantapuramu districts but neither the election authorities nor the police confirmed the reports.
State Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi, however, said polling was going on peacefully across the state. In a statement, the CEO asked people not to believe in rumours as the poll process was going on peacefully.
He said the technical defects in EVMs, reported from various places, have been rectified.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his family members voted at a polling station in Undavalli village in state capital region Amaravati. His son Nara Lokesh, incidentally, is the TDP candidate from Mangalagiri Assembly segment that covers Undavalli.
Talking to reporters, the Chief Minister referred to technical glitches in EVMs and said he was demanding that ballot papers be re-introduced. “No developed country is using EVMs as they are prone to manipulation. We have hence been demanding that we revert to the ballot paper system,” Naidu said.
YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy cast his vote in his native Pulivendula in Kadapa district, from where he is seeking re-election. “I am very confident that people are looking for a change,” Jagan, who is aspiring for the chief minister’s post, remarked.
Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan exercised his franchise in Vijayawada.State Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam also cast his vote in Vijayawada.
State Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi cast his vote in Tadepalli. Interestingly, the VVPAT machine did not function when Dwivedi voted.
This is the first general election in the state after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and creation of Telangana in June 2014.
As many as 2,118 and 319 candidates are in the fray for 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats respectively.
Polling would end at 5 pm in the Left-wing Extremism-affected areas, mostly those bordering Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
The total number of voters in Andhra Pradesh is 39,341,770 of which 19,462,339 are men and 19,879,421 women.
The fight is clearly between the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) with Jana Sena leader and actor Pawan Kalyan likely to emerge as the X factor in this tight battle.
Chandrababu Naidu is going it alone without the BJP after their bitter divorce over the special category status to the state. YSRCP leader Jaganmohan Reddy is going it alone too.
The Congress and BJP are also contesting but look like backbenchers in this fight.
In the run-up, Naidu tried to give his campaign the feel of a grand alliance by bringing in West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee , National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to hold meetings and roadshows.
Naidu has capitalised on the corruption cases on Jagan, also insinuating that he is backed by the BJP, which denied Andhra the special status. ‘Your future is my responsibility’, has been Naidu’s battle cry.
His son Nara Lokesh debuts in these elections, standing from Mangalagiri in the capital Amaravati region.
Jagan has drawn big crowds with his mother Y S Vijayamma and sister Y S Sharmila by his side. He has promised to bring back ‘Rajanna Rajyam’ – a reference to his father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s tenure as chief minister during which he introduced many welfare schemes.
TDP has an edge in coastal Andhra whil YSRCP hopes to do better in Rayalaseema.
But the dark horse to watch out for would be Pawan Kalyan. In 2014, Pawan Kalyan had campaigned for the BJP-TDP alliance but is now making his political debut with the Bahujan Samaj Party, CPI and CPI(M). Analysts feel he may eat in the BJP and TDP’s voteshare in seats where the population of his community, the Kapus, is high.
Pawan Kalyan is contesting two Assembly constituencies — Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka.
In 2014, TDP had won 102 seats and its then alliance partner BJP won 4. YSRCP emerged the only opposition with 67 seats. Interestingly, the YSRCP polled less than two per cent votes than the TDP-BJP combine.
Out of 25 Lok Sabha seats, TDP got 15 seats while BJP got two. YSRCP got eight.
The Congress was completely wiped out last time as it bore the brunt of the bifurcation of Telengana by the UPA government. From above 50 per cent in 2004, its vote share dropped to an all-time low of 2.8 per cent in 2014.
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Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Thursday filed her nomination from Amethi parliamentary constituency.
Earlier, Smriti Irani held a roadshow along with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Earlier, Smriti performed ‘Puja’ along with her husband Zubin Irani.
Smriti would be contesting against the Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Amethi has been the safe turf of Congress since the inception of the constituency.
Rahul Gandhi clutched the seat for the longest period as he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) from Amethi since 2004.
In the 2014 general elections, Smriti Irani gave a decent fight to the Congress President, where the latter defeated the former by a margin of around one lakh votes.
The mammoth 2019 Lok Sabha elections started from Thursday and results would be declared on May 23.
Tweeting about the roadshow Adityanath dubbed the gigantic crowd as the adversaries of the dynastic politics.
